Ben Spooner

Ben Spooner.

I build and fix web apps - features, auth, dashboards, and the messy bits in between.

Work

Where my time goes.

Founder

CopyLint

Digital copy checker for brands

CopyLint is a privacy-first copy checker that helps teams keep their communications on-brand. Define custom rules (or use presets) to align terminology, style, and formatting - all in your browser.
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Long-term collaboration

Mothers Memoirs

A guided writing space

Raw and messy, tender and triumphant. Mother’s Memoirs invites women to share their most authentic reflections of motherhood - for themselves, their loved ones, and for posterity.
Visit Mothers Memoirs

Selective work

Production engineering

Builds & fixes

I take on new and existing Next.js/React apps - shipping features, untangling auth and permissions, stabilising flaky integrations, and fixing production edge cases.
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Writing

Musings on my work.

UI · DESIGN• 2026

Designing with the basics

Type, spacing, simple shapes - and strong contrast between a small number of colours.

I’m a big fan of the basics in design. Type, spacing, simple shapes - lines, dots, borders, shadows - and strong contrast between a small number of colours.

My general approach to development is maximum output from minimal input. Not as a way of cutting corners, but as a way of getting more value from the work itself. Fewer decisions. Fewer moving parts. More attention where it actually matters.

When I design UI, I usually start with a very small palette - a dark colour, a muted dark, an accent, and a white. From there, I try to make each section distinct without adding more than I need to: hierarchy, spacing, structure, and the occasional line or border to do the work.

Collaborate

Production engineering

TypeScript, Next.js/React, Postgres, serverless (Vercel).

What I build

  • Feature work in existing Next.js / React apps
  • Dashboards and internal tools
  • Auth, roles, permissions
  • Refactors that don’t break production
  • Performance & UX fixes

What I fix

  • Bugs that only happen sometimes
  • “It’s broken and we don’t know why”
  • Flaky integrations and APIs
  • Escalations that need ownership
  • Auth, networking, and data edge cases

About

How I got here.

I started in music - studying composition and spending my early career teaching, performing, and writing. That background trained me to think in patterns, constraints, and structure.

In 2022, an MSc in Music for Screen pulled me into software. One thing led to another, and now I build commercial digital products using TypeScript, Next.js, and cloud infrastructure.

I’ve worked in enterprise escalations for a global product, owning complex customer issues end-to-end. It’s shaped how I debug, how I build, and how I think about systems in production.

Contact

Say hi

I'd love to hear from you.